Mine car draft rigging



Dec. 29, 1953 c. A. ANDERSON MINE CAR DRAFT RIGGING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 28, 1952 Invenfir: Cazrl JLfl-nders on.

Dec. 29, 1953 c. A. ANDERSON MINE CAR DRAFT RIGGING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed March 28, 1952 WW J9.

Patented Dec. 29, 1953 MINE CAR DRAFT RIGGING Carl A. Anderson, Chicago,Ill., assignor to :Miner,-Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of DelawareApplication March 28, 1952, Serial No. 279,055

.1 V This invention relates to improvements in draft riggings,especially adapted for mine cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a draft rigging of simpledesign which is adapted to successfully cushion the draft and buffingshocks to which mine cars are subjected in service.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a draft riggingor" the character specified including a supporting yoke structureslidingly mounted on the car, and a friction shock absorbing mechanismcarried by the yoke structure and interposed between front and rearfollowers cooperatingwithfront and rear stops on the underframestructure of the car, wherein the yoke structure is guided for;horizontal movement lengthwise of the car by laterally projecting guideflanges provided on said structure andengaged with supporting guides onsaid underframe structure, and wherein the yoke structure is furtherprovided with an integral bufling head, and is designed to detachablyaccommodate the usual mine car coupling means'for the transmission ofdraft forces to the friction shock absorbing mechanisin.

Another-object of the invention is to provide a mine car draft rigging,as set forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein the yoke structure isfurther provided with a depending draft and buffer flange'or lug whichisutilized to receive. shocks encountered in bringing the mine car to ahalt by manually set stop means on the mine car track, and to receiveshocks encountered when the mine car is pulled by a conveying mechanism,to transmit such shocks to the friction shock absorbing .mechanism ofthe rigging.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from thedescription and claims herein- ..after following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part ,of this specification,Figure 1 is a broken longitudinal vertical sectional view through thebottom ,portionofa mine car atone end of. the same, illustrating myimprovements in connection there- .with,1 and showing the friction shockabsorbing .,mechanism. and front and rear followers of the draft riggingin elevation. Figure 2- is a front elevational view of Figure 1. Figure3 is a transverse vertical sectional view, corresponding substantiallyto the line 3-3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a. ,top. plan view of thesupportingyoke struc- .ture. of. my improved draft rigging, Figure ;-5is -a transverse- .vertical sectional :view,;- correspondingsubstantially toitheline 5--;5 ofFigure-l. .Figure 6 is a transversevertical sectional/viemoorrespondingsubstantially;zto .theline 45:6 ofFi ure 9 Claims. (01. 213-50) 1, with the friction shock absorbingmechanism and rear follower of the draft riggingomitted. Figure '7 is abroken detailed perspective view'of Figure 4, said view being broken'offat the line 17 of Figure 4.

In said drawings, [0 designates generally the body of a minev car, andH, the bottom wall'of said car body.

In carrying out my invention, I provide broadly a supporting yokestructure A, which is suspended from the car body and is guided forsliding movement lengthwise of said car, front and rear followers B andC, a friction shock absorbing mechanism D within the yoke structure,front stop brackets EE, and a rear stop bracket F with which thefollowers cooperate, and supporting guides GG for said yoke structurefiXedto the underneath side of the car body Ill.

The front stop brackets EE are laterally spaced apart and arranged atopposite sides of the central longitudinal axis of the car structure.Each bracket E consists of a vertically' disposed, rearwardlyfacingplate I2, reenforced by a horizontally disposed, lengthwise extending,platelike section l3 projecting forwardly therefrom, the platelikesection 13 being of greater width than the plate 12 and projectinglaterally inwardly beyond the latter toprovide a protruding guide ledgeM. The plate [2 of each bracket is preferably further reenforced by acentral vertical web l5 extending between said plate and the platelikesection l3. These stop brackets E-E are preferably welded to theunderneath side of the bottom wall ll of the car body 10, and are spacedto accommodate the forward'end portion of the yoke structure Atherebetween, with the guide ledges l4l4 projecting toward each other.Inasmuch as the wall ll ofthe car body It! is curved upwardly at the endof the car, as shown in Figure 1, a filler block [6 isemployedbetweenthe platelike section It of each bracket E and the wall 1 I of,the car body atthis point, the same being preferably welded to saidplate and the wall I I ofthe car body.

The rear'stop bracket F comprises a pair of vertically disposed,laterally spaced plates Il--l7, which are in alignmentrespectively withthe plates 12-12 of the brackets E-E, and a transverse barlike sectionl8 connecting said plates and formedintegral therewith. The bracket Fhas the platesl'l thereof reenforced by a reara l jectin h iz dl disoscd, p telike section 19 atthe top portion thereof. Apairof reenforcingwebs 203-.20 are alsoemployedonthe bracket F, each web -20 extendingbetween the plate I! and the platelike section H at each side of saidbracket. The bracket F is fixed to the car body rearwardly of thebrackets E--E, being preferably welded to the wall I I of said car body.

The supporting guides G--G are located between the front and rear stopbrackets E-E and F, at opposite sides of the longitudinal center line ofthe car, each guide being in the form of an angularly bent platecomprising a vertical section 2|, which is welded to the bottom wall Hof the body l0, and a horizontal section at the lower end of thevertical section, forming a guide ledge 22. The guide ledges 22-22 ofthe supporting guides GG project toward each other, as shown in Figure5.

The yoke structure A comprises a rear straplike portion 23 composed ofhorizontally disposed, top and bottom arms 24 and 25 connected by frontand rear, vertical sections 26 and 21, and a head portion 28 comprisinga transverse buffer plate 29, connected to the straplike portion 23 by aforwardly extending shank member 30 on the section 26, and a platelikestrip 3| connected at its rear end to the top portion of the section 26by a web 32 which is of lesser transverse width than the section 26 andthe strip 3|. The forward end of the strip 3| is fixed to the inner sideof the buffer plate 29, being preferably reenforced by an upstandingflange I32 at its connection with the plate 29. The shank 30 is providedwith a transverse opening 33 at its outer end adapted to accommodate thepin or a portion of the link of a coupling member of any well-knowndesign, and the buffer plate 29 is cut out at the bottom, as shown inFigure 2, to accommodate said coupling member and provide clearance forswinging of the same. Between its ends, the top arm 24 of the straplikeportion 23 of the yoke structure A is laterally enlarged to provideguide flanges or wings 34-44 which overlap and ride upon the guideledges 22--22 of the guides G-G to support the yoke structure A andguide it in lengthwise direction.

The front or head portion 28 of the yoke structure is supported by thestrip 3| which laterally overlaps and rides upon the ledges l4|4 of thefront stop brackets EE. The bottom arm 25 of the straplike portion 23 ofthe yoke structure A is preferably laterally enlarged at its rear end,as shown most clearly in Figures 4 and 7, and at said enlarged portionthe arm 25 is provided with depending side webs 3535 connected by avertically disposed transverse section, providing a draft and buffingflange or lug 36. This draft and bufiing flange 36 is designed to engagewith manually set stop means commonly employed on mine car tracks forbringing the car to a stop, and the shock incident to halting such a caris thus transmitted to and taken care of by the friction shock absorbingmechanism of the draft rigging. The flange or lug 36, as placed on theyoke structure, is further engageable by the usual mine car conveyingmeans and the shocks encountered in pulling a car by such a conveyingmeans are thus also transmitted to the friction shock absorbingmechanism.

The followers B and C and the friction shock absorbing mechanism D areof well-known design. As shown, the followers B and C are arrangedwithin the straplike portion 23 of the yoke structure at the front andrear ends thereof, respectively, and the friction shock absorbingmechanism D is arranged within said strap- 4 like portion between thefollowers B and C. As illustrated, the followers B and C protrude fromthe yoke at opposite sides to engage with the plates |2|2 of the frontstop brackets E--E and the plates of the rear stop bracket F.

The friction shock absorbing mechanism D comprises the usual frictioncasing I35 having one end bearing on the front follower B, springresisted friction shoes |3B|35 slidingly telescoped within the other endof the casing, a wedge 31 engaged between the shoes and bearing on therear follower C.

In the operation of my improved mechanism, the yoke structure A ispulled forwardly in draft, forcing the rear follower C against thefriction shock absorber mechanism D, the casing I35 of which is heldstationary by engagement with the front follower B which at this time isheld against forward movement by engagement with the front stop bracketsE-E. In buff, the yoke structure A is moved rearwardly, carrying thefollower B rearwardly therewith against the friction casing |35 of thefriction shock absorbing mechanism, the wedge 31 of which is heldstationary by the follower C, which at this time is in engagement withthe rear stop bracket F. In either buff or draft, the friction shockabsorbing mechanism will thus be compressed between the followers B andC to cushion and absorb shocks. During both draft and bufling strokes ofthe yoke structure A, movement of the latter is accurately guided andcontrolled by th supporting guides GG and supporting guide ledges |l|4with which the guide wings or flanges 34-34 and the strip 3| cooperate.

I claim:

1. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with front and rearstops; of a yoke structure movable lengthwise of said rigging; shock absorbing means within said yoke structure; followers within said yokestructure at the front and rear of said shock absorbing means, saidfollowers cooperating with said front and rear stops, respectively;fixed guides at opposite sides of said rigging; and laterallyprojecting, lengthwise extending flanges on said yoke structure engagedover said fixedguides.

2. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with front and rearstops; of a yoke structure movable lengthwise of said rigging; shockabsorbing means within the yoke structure; followers within said yokestructure bearing on opposite ends of said shock absorbing means, eachof said followers projecting at opposite sides from said yoke structureto engage said front and rear stops; fixed guides, each of whichincludes a longitudinally extending ledge projecting toward the otherguide; and laterally projecting flanges on said yoke structure engagedover said ledges.

3. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with front and rearstops; of a yoke structure movable lengthwise of said rigging; shockabsorbing means within said yoke structure; followers within said yokestructure bearing on opposite ends of said shock absorbing means, eachof said followers projecting from opposite sides of said yoke structureto engage said front and rear stops; fixed guides, each of whichincludes a longitudinally extending ledge projecting toward the ledge ofthe other guide; and laterally projecting flanges at the top of saidyoke structure engaged over said ledges.

4. A railway draft rigging, including a yoke structure and fixed guidesat opposite sides of said rigging, said yoke structure including a strapmember having top and bottom arms and front and rear, vertical endsections connecting said top and bottom arms, said top having horizontalflanges at opposite sides laterally extending therefrom and engaged oversaid guides.

5. A railway draft rigging, including a yoke structure and fixed frontand rear guides at opposite sides of said rigging, said yoke structureincluding a strap portion and a head portion extending forwardly fromsaid strap portion, said strap portion having laterally projecting,longi tudinally extending guide flanges thereon engaged over andsupported on said rear guides, and said head portion having laterallyprojecting, horizontally disposed, lengthwise extending guide portionsengaged over and supported on said front guides.

6. In a draft rigging for a railway car, the combination with front andrear stop brackets on the car; of longitudinally extending guide ledgeson said front stop brackets; a yoke structure movable length-wise ofsaid car, said yoke structure including a strap member and a headportion, said head portion extending forwardly from said strap member;longitudinal guide flanges on said head portion engaged over said ledgesfor supporting said yoke structure for sliding movement; longitudinalguide flanges on said strap member; and fixed guides on the car, saidguides including lengthwise extending ledges over which said flanges ofsaid strap member are engaged.

7. In a yoke structure, the combination with a strap portion comprisingtop and bottom arms and front and rear, vertical end sections connectingsaid arms; of a shank extending forwardly from said front section; atransversely extending buffer head plate at the outer end of said shank;and a bracing plate above said shank connecting the buffer head plate tosaid front vertical end section of said strap portion.

8. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with front and rearstops; of a yoke structure movable lengthwise of said rigging; adepending flange on said yoke structure adapted to receive draft andbuffing shocks; shock absorbing means within the yoke structure; andfollowers within the yoke structure at the front and rear of said shockabsorbing means, said followers cooperating with said front and rearstops, respectively.

9. A railway draft rigging including a yoke structure, said yokestructure including a strap member having top and bottom arms and frontand rear, vertical end sections connecting said top and bottom arms,said bottom arm having a vertically disposed, transverse draft andbuffing flange depending therefrom.

CARL A. ANDERSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

